Come on Let's Go and Play
by onceuponajollyroger
Summary: After being back in Storybrooke for only two days, Emma is already overwhelmed by the challenges the Snow Queen presents to the denizens of Storybrooke. The pressures of being the savior get to Emma until she finally snaps one night. Killian is right by her side to cheer her up and show her a bit of fun. (A fluffy, fun speculative one-shot that starts off with a touch of angst.)


Emma took the stairs at Granny's two at a time, eager to get to the safety of her room where she could be alone to deal with _this_. _All of this._ She reached the door of her room and hurried inside, slamming it shut behind her as she rushed forward to collapse on the bed. She buried her face into the mattress to muffle the sound of her sobs as tears fell freely from her eyes. She couldn't do this anymore. This was too much. It was all just too much for her. Savior or not, she couldn't handle this pressure.

She lost herself in her dark thoughts and tears, unaware of how much times passed, before she felt the bed sink down next to her. Emma flinched back, startled at the intrusion, only to find Killian sitting next to her, gazing down at her with soft, _understanding_ eyes. She sat up to join him at the edge of the bed without a word. Emma tried to fight back her tears, but she couldn't anymore, and besides, it was Killian. If she could cry in front of anyone, it was him.

Killian reached over to brush his hand up and down her back to try and soothe her pain. The look in her eyes was hauntingly familiar; it was a look he knew all too well, and it frightened him- the look of _defeat_. "Talk to me lass. Let it out. You can't keep it all inside; it'll eat at you alive, trust me," he said in a gentle, reassuring whisper.

Emma took a deep, shaky breathe as she tried to regulate her breathing and stop her tears. The feel of Killian's hand smoothing against her back calmed her as she was filled with a sense of safety. Not that she would tell him. She was incredibly confused about _them_, and she had way too much on her plate as it was without adding whatever they were to the mix. Emma turned her head to look over at Killian before she answered back. "I'm just so tired, Killian. I'm so so tired, and it never ends," she said quietly in a voice that was equally as defeated as her facial expression.

Killian reached his arm over her shoulder to gently pull her into his side, and much to his relief, she didn't resist at all. Emma leaned in against his shoulder and reveled in the comfort of being held, being protected, for just a minute. "You're upset at what Henry said, aren't you?" he posed cautiously.

Emma took as a deep breath as she thought back on the conversation. A wicked snow queen was terrorizing the town with evil snowmen, and a second snow queen with absolutely no control over her magic had blanketed Storybrooke in a deep layer of snow. Despite this, the Charming family decided to have a quiet, peaceful dinner together at the loft. David and Mary Margaret oohed and awed over baby Neal, _Emma was still getting used to his name_, while she, Henry, and Killian brainstormed ways to help Elsa reign in her powers.

Her parents were being civil towards Killian, much to Emma's relief. Despite the insanity going on around them, the night ran quite smoothly- all until Emma suggested she drive Henry over to Regina's to stay the night. _"Actually Mom, maybe Grandpa should take me over,"_ his words rang in Emma's ears. That was when Emma lost it. She said a quick goodbye and left before everyone could notice something was wrong. Well, apparently not _everyone_.

"I just want to be alone," Emma said in a low murmur that Killian had to strain to hear.

Killian shook his head before looking over to meet her eyes. "I'd say you don't want to be alone, Swan," he replied as his focus shifted down to his shoulder where she was leaning and then back up to her. "I think you've been alone for so long in your life that you're used to it. You've a habit of being alone, but that doesn't mean you truly want to be," he said in a soft, yet stern voice that had Emma staring back at him with disbelief.

She was quiet for a minute as the thought over his words. He was right, _bastard_, but she certainly wouldn't admit it. "Who are you, Sigmund Freud, now?" she teased, but there was certainly nothing joking about her tone.

"Sigmund who? Is he a wizard like that Marty fellow from the other day?" Killian asked as his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

Emma let out a snort at that as she giggled in Killian's arms. She exhaled deeply, deciding that she could tell her problems to Killian. "My life is insane. The villains, the curses, the crises, they never stop. Ever since I came to Storybrooke, it's been one thing after another. The original curse, falling through a portal, Neverland, the _freaking_ Wicked Witch of the West. I found peace for a year during all of it, but it was just a lie. I was engaged to a damn _monkey _after all," she said with a mix of bewilderment and disgust.

Killian nodded his head in understanding, but didn't speak; instead he waved his hand, encouraging her to continue.

"Now we're fighting a snow queen and dealing with evil snowmen. To top it all off, the Evil Queen blames me for ruining her relationship. The problems never end. It's just too much, and it never stops," she continued as her voice became higher and higher and tears started to fall again, despite her attempt to stave them off. She looked up at Killian with fear in her eyes as she finished in a low murmur. "What if it never stops?"

Killian hugged her to him tighter as he searched for words that might offer his Swan some comfort. "Love, I wish more than anything that I could stop this madness for you. I wish I could promise you that it would slow down, that you could have a break, but I can't."

Emma shook her head as she nuzzled into Killian's chest. "I know," she said in a tired, sad voice.

"But," Killian said with a confident tone, "If your circumstances won't let up, and a break doesn't present itself, you have to take one. You have to make time for yourself. Despite the fact that you're the savior, you're not the only one in this town who can do magic or wield or sword. These people survived for years without you, they can go a few hours," he said firmly as he lifted her chin up to meet her gaze.

Emma sat up straighter and wiped away the wetness from her face. He had a point. She bit her lip and gave him a small, hesitant smile back. "I guess you're right," she answered.

"I'm always right, Swan," he said with a devilish wink, which garnered him an eye roll from Emma. "What you need is a bit of fun," he said, flashing Emma a toothy grin.

"Fun?" she repeated.

"Aye, fun. F-u-n-, fun. When was the last time you had fun Swan? Hmm?" he asked as he stood up and towered above her.

"Well…I-" she began before she was yanked to her feet by Killian's strong grip on her elbow.

He shook his head in disappointment. "If you have to think about it, love, it's been far too long. Come on," he said as he plucked her beanie off her dresser and pulled it down onto her head and over her ears. "Let's go, Swan."

"Where are we going?" she asked with a huff as Killian took her hand is his and led her out of her room.

The two came out of Granny's, Killian leading excitedly with Emma dragging along behind. Killian marched them through foot high snow until they were in an open area, away from the street and the prying eyes of any Storybrooke's residents.

He dropped her hand and walked off about a yard or two before he stopped and bent over. Emma stood still gazing at him with confusion. It was freezing out here, and they could very well get attacked by evil snowmen- this was not at all fun. Before she could finish her thoughts, she was pelted in the shoulder with a snowball. "What the hell?" she cried angrily.

"Snowball fight. Fun," Killian said in mock exaggeration as he stared back at her. "Come now, Swan, because I've a soft spot for you, I'll give you a free shot," he teased as he held his arms out beside him, leaving his torso exposed.

Emma narrowed her eyes as the corners of her mouth tipped up in a mischievous grin. She grew up in an orphanage full of children in Maine; Emma Swan had engaged in her fair share of snowball fights. That smug pirate was going down.

Emma dropped to the ground and started fashioning a snowball; she packed it extra tightly so it would leave a bit of sting. She jumped up and fired the snowball at Killian with all her might, hitting him square in the jaw.

"Bloody hell, lass!" he cried in pain as he reached up to cradle his jaw. "Bad form."

Emma let out a surprised gasp when she saw the snowball impact. Emma didn't exactly have the best aim; she had been aiming for his _stomach_. Emma ran over and cupped his face with her hands to get a better look at his now red chin. "Killian, I'm so so sorry," she said as she continued to utter a string of apologies.

Killian reached up to grab her by the shoulders. "Emma, stop. This was supposed to be _fun_," he assured. "Besides, if you feel that guilty, I know a way you can make it better," he said as he licked his lower lip and waggled his eyebrows.

Emma rolled her eyes, but still leaned up on her tiptoes to reach his face. She was just a breathe away from him as she licked her lips, closed her eyes, and leaned in to place a gentle, tender kiss against his…_chin_.

She let out a giggle as she pulled away from him to see a deep frown spread across his face. His eyes were still closed, ready for what he had thought would be another passionate kiss. Killian popped his eyes open and shook his head at Emma. "You're a bloody tease, woman. You know that?" he said as he continued to shake his head in a mixture of disbelief and disappointment.

Emma laughed loudly before leaning forward to push against Killian's shoulders, knocking him onto the ground. "Blazes woman, if your idea of fun is abusing me, I rather regret this whole idea," he shouted in a breathy voice as he sat up on his elbows and glared up at her.

Emma only giggled more as she plopped down beside him before lying on her back. "We're making snow angels, Killian," she said as she fanned her arms and legs out.

Killian leaned over on his side to watch what Emma was doing before he laid back to imitate her. After fanning his arms out for a minute, Killian noticed that Emma had gotten back to her feet, so he stood to join her side. He turned around to look at their creations and let out a bright smile.

Killian pointed at the impression Emma left in the snow as her gaze followed. "Look, love, even your hat left a mark. It looks like your angel is wearing a beanie," he said as he chuckled.

Emma laughed before she bent down to examine Killian's angel. He saw her moving her hands around where his head left an impression, but her back blocked out his few. She hopped up and returned to his side allowing him a proper view of her work. He shook his head, feigning annoyance.

"Swan, I am not versed with the religions of this realm, but I'm fairly certain _horns_ are bad across the board," he huffed. He couldn't really be mad though because Emma was still laughing, her cheeks bright red from a mix of the cold and laughter. And _gods_, her smile. She had such a gorgeous smile, and there just weren't enough opportunities for her to show it.

Emma continued to giggle as she looked down proudly at her work before her body instinctively shivered from the cold night air. Killian frowned when he noticed her quiver. "It's freezing outside, love. How about we get back in before you catch cold?" he asked as he reached up to gently caress her cheek.

Emma leaned her head into his hand, closing her eyes for just a second, before she looked over at him. "I don't want to go inside. I'm actually having fun for a change. Will you stay out with me for just a little longer?" she asked quietly as she bit her bottom lip.

Killian smiled back at her, his entire face alight at the fact that Emma was enjoying herself. "I'll stay out all night if you wish."

Emma smiled back at him, a full and consuming smile that even reached her eyes, which was all too rare for Emma Swan. "Killian, let's make a snowman. I haven't built one in years," she exclaimed as she bounced around to gather up some snow.

Killian beamed back at her and nodded his head slightly. He couldn't believe Emma was practically skipping around. He hadn't seen her this carefree in…well, _ever_. "Alright, as long as it's not an _evil_ one," he chimed.

They were out for quite a bit longer as both were fairly rusty at their snowman building skills. After some effort and a short dispute about the proper technique for building a snowman, they had finally formed all three parts of the body. "Now we just have to dress him," Emma declared as she started looking around for supplies. She untied the scarf from her neck and wrapped it around the head of their snowman.

"One second, lass, I'll be right back," Killian said as he dashed off around the corner. Emma searched her pockets for any items that might be useful but came up empty-handed. Killian was only gone for a few minutes before he returned bearing supplies.

"Here are we," he proclaimed proudly as he stuck a carrot in the middle of their snowman's face. "Emma, you do the honors for the rest," he said as he gave her a handful of buttons.

Emma gawked back at him with surprise. "Hold on, where did you get this stuff?" she asked with bemusement.

"The Diner. Granny stores her vegetables in that massive icebox and has a button drawer nearly the counter," he supplied matter-of-factly.

Emma shook her head, even more puzzled than she was before. "How do you know that, and how did you get into the locked Diner?" she asked suspiciously.

Killian gave her a mischievous grin before responding simply, "Swan, I'm a pirate."

Emma rolled her eyes. _Yeah, that answered her questions alright._ She turned away and set about decorating their snowman with buttons. When she was finished she stepped back to stand beside Killian as the two admired their creation. The snowman had the customary carrot nose and a scarf along with buttons making up the eyes and mouth.

"We forgot arms," Emma noted as she looked over the snowman.

Killian shook his head in disagreement. "I didn't forget. If I've learned anything in these past two days it's that snowmen with arms are trouble," he said firmly.

Emma laughed in response. God, was that the truth. Just in case the Snow Queen came along and decided to animate their little friend, they'd better leave it armless.

Emma looked up at him before she scooted closer, invading _his_ personal space for a change. "You know, I am getting pretty cold. Maybe we can go inside and you can help me warm up," she said with the raise of her eyebrows.

Killian's mouth dropped opened in surprise before he quickly recovered and gave her a promising grin. "Oh, I think that sounds awfully _fun_, Swan."

Emma awoke in Killian's arms late the next morning. Her situation hadn't changed from the night before. Regina still hated her, there were still evil snowmen running around town, and her life was still the chaotic mess it had been for the past two years. Still, as she lay in Killian's arms and listened to the rhythmic sound of his light snoring, she couldn't find it in herself to feel upset. She was still the savior, and problems would still present themselves, but she had foundher _own savior_, and with him by her side she was ready to take on anything.


End file.
